Fleetwood Town striker Ched Evans is close to making a switch to Championship outfit Preston North End, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The Welshman has been told he has no future at the Cod Army following a bust-up with manager Joey Barton, despite netting 31 league goals in 84 appearances since 2018.

Ex-Sheffield United striker Evans has a tally of five goals for the season in 17 games, and wouldn't have expected to get a Championship move at this stage of his career.

But Nixon is reporting that despite the interest of League One sides Sunderland and Ipswich, Evans is set to step up a level to the Lilywhites, providing that Fleetwood don't end up demanding a fee for the 32-year-old.

The last time Evans scored in the second tier of English football was in 2011 as a Sheffield United player, as the majority of his playing career following his prison sentence 2012 has been spent in League One.

If the deal does go through, it does look on paper as though it's a kind of last resort or cheap option, and it's hard to say that Evans improves the Lilywhites strike-force in any way.

The Verdict

North End probably do need reinforcements at the top end of the pitch to push them closer to the play offs, but is Evans the answer?

Alex Neil has one of the bluntest set of strikers in the division, with Sean Maguire, Emil Riis and Jayden Stockley all not prolific, Louis Moult has been injured since August 2019 and David Nugent isn't even registered to play.

Preston fans would be hoping that the club would set their sights a bit higher when it comes to signings, and the baggage that Evans comes with may not be worth it whatsoever.